Clothes washer



Aug. 36, 1932. 11, KELLEY 1,814,948

' CLOTHES WASHER Filed Feb. 12, 1931 at I YORK

PATENT-[- 1 c]:

MAUDE r. KELLEYQOF MOUNT mama, NEW YORK, Assie voit or' onn-rounrn "r0 BRATSON CORPORATION, oriuouur VERNON, NEW YORK, A" coaroaa'rron'or NEW crown-Es wnsnnn .ZApplication filed February 12,1931. serial No. 515,291.

' harmful results to the articles being washed.

With these and other objects in view, the invention consists in the novel construction, arrangement and combination of parts, hereinafter described, illustrated in some of its is embodiments in the accompanying drawing and particularly pointed out in the appended claims.

In the drawing, Figure 1 is a side elevational view of my improved clothes plunger, Figure 2 is a plan View of the top of the suction cup, Figure 3 is a plan view partly in section of the underside of the suction cup and Figure 4 is a plan View partly in section of the underside of a modified form of suction cup.

My improved clothes washing device comprehends the provision of a plunger or patter 1, having a handle 2, the upper end of which is formed with spaced enlarged portions 3 and 4, providing a grip fashioned to accommodate the hand of the operator. The enlarged portions 3 and 4: cooperate to prevent the plunger from slipping from the grasp of the operator and at the same time permit it to be held with a lighter grip than ordinarily would be required.

A suction cup 5 is carried on the lower end of the handle 2 and is removably secured thereto by means of the upstanding neck 6 which receives and frictionally engages the end of handle. A series of apertures 7, are provided in the upper face of the suction cup through which the cleaning fluid may be expelled from and sucked into the interior of the cup 5. A guard plate 8 is carried by the handle 2 above the suction cup 5, so that the liquid expelled through the apertures 7 does not escape from the vessel in which the washing operation is performed.

The interior of the suction cup 5 is provided with a plurality of vertically disposed walls 9 which divide the cup into a number of cells or cavities 10, which are circumferentially disposed around the central cavity 11. The lower edge 12, of the wall ofthe central cavity'll, terminates a short distance below the rim 13 of the shell of the cup, so that the lower edges of the cup andthe dividingwalls 9 lie within the surface of a cone which arrangement facilitates the distribution of the clothes being washed and tends to arrange them evenly over the face of the suction cup. j f p i The central cavity 11 is provided with lateral portslt, communicating with the cavities 10, which are'arranged 'thereabout so.

from one. cell to the. other of the cup. By

arranging the suction cup with a plurality of cells as shown, the articles being washed are prevented from wedging and jamming intothe 'cup and thus stopping the free flow of the washing fluid through the apertures 7.v .This is an'important feature of my device and will be better appreciated after considering the operation of the plunger which will 'be described in detail presently.-

In the modified form of cup shown in Figure 4, lateral apertures15 are provided for the escape of the'washing fluid, in place of the aperture 7 shown in connectionwith the previously described form of suction cup. Byjarrangin'g the cellapertures in the side of the suction cup the shield'8 may be dispensed with. In either case, however, the

device will operate satisfactorily without the.

shield, which is provided to prevent splashing and-escape of washing fluid when the device is in the'hands of a careless or ineX- pert operator.

The handle 2may be made of wood though not necessarily so.

v The disk 8 is fashioned from a light noncorroding metal stamping. Other materials than those mentioned may that, the cleansing fluidis free to circulate uids commonly used for cleaning purposes, and it has the physical characteristics of the rubber used in automobile tires, being slightly deformable under slight stresses but of suflicient rigidity to substantially retain its shape innormal use.

In the operation of the device the articles to be cleaned are placed in a suitable vessel containing the cleansing fluid which may be a mixture of soap and water or a dry cleaning liquid- The plunger is then gently reciprocated with an easy motion with the suction cup at or near the top of the liquid level and is shifted from place to place so as to bring all the clothes in the vessel under the cleansing action of the device.

Ithas been observed in the operation of myimproved washer that during the reciprocation of the plunger the clothes adhering to the suction cup tend to distribute themselves evenly over the face thereof by reason ofthe conical outline of the underside of the cup. At thesame timethe cleansing fluid may be observed to escape from the apa ertures? or 15 on the downward stroke of the plunger showing that the liquid is forced through the clothes engaging the underside ofthe cup, thus providing an ideal mode of washing silks and other fine articles fashioned from delicate materials which are easilyruined by the rubbing and violent agitation produced by other modes of washing.

The openings 7 are of such size that when the plunger is operated below the surface of 'the cleaning fluid, the articles being washed tend to adhere to the face of the plunger on its upward stroke until suflicient liquid has entered the cup by way ofthe openings 7 to displace the clothes from this, position.

Furthermore, it is to be understood that the particular forms of apparatus shown and described, and the particular procedure set forth, are presented for purposes of (ex planation and illustration and that various modifications of said apparatus and procedure can be made without departing from my invention as defined in the appended claims. a I

Having thus described I claim is:

1. In a clothes washing device an integrally formed waterproof non-metallic cup of molded construction, a handle receiving my invention what =portion formed thereon, and a plurality of relatively thin inter-connected vertical walls within said cup dividing the same into a number of open cells, there being holes communieating with said cells to permit restricted said walls sloping downwardly and inwardly toward the center of said cup whereby in the operation of the device the exposed edges of said "walls tend to spread and distribute the clothes evenly over the face of the cup and at the same time prevent their entrance into the cup.

2. In a clothes washing device, a plunger comprising a rubber suction cup, a handle ly and inwardly from the rim of said'cup so 'as to form a grid-like guard over'the mouth of the cup to distribute the clothes being washed radially outwardly and evenly across the mouth of said cup and at the same time to prevent their entering into said cup, the wall of said cup having holes communicating with said cavities to permit restricted How of washing fluid back and forth through said In testimony whereof I affix my signature. MAUDE T. KELLEY; 

